Opinion

The stars shined ever so brightly as Cat brought a stack of plates to the deck. People from the Bible study were filled with a feeling of gratitude and praise as they watched the night sky. The grill was about ready and some of the women helped Cat set salad and vegetables on the deck table while Buck and Daniel put the first batch of steaks on the grill.

“God is so good”

“Yes, yes he is”

In the atmosphere above Groundswell, Smee had arced out of Hell and was streaking like an asteroid back toward earth, specifically, Groundswell. “Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!” he screamed as he tumbled head over heels falling toward the earth.

“There!” said Katrina as she walked over to Buck and pointed. “Right above the garage peak. Can’t you see it? It looks like a falling star.”

The crowd was looking but no one could see the asteroid trail that caught Katrina’s attention. “Buck” she said “Right there.”

“Sure, I see it.” said Buck. He looked at the others. The rest were searching the sky but clearly they could not see the fire trail. “You all really cannot see that? ”

“Sorry, no” they replied. “But you can? Are you joking with us?”

“No.” answered Buck “Never mind. How do you all want your steaks?”

Katrina put her arm around Buck as he stood at the grill taking orders. “Buck, what does it mean. We can see it but they can’t. The only time that happens is with …”

“Yeah” said Buck, as cheerfully as he could muster.

“With angels” offered Cat.

Buck looked down at the grill grimly, but resolute.

“Or demons. We’ve had two years of peace. Now we have company.”

—

“AHhhhhhhhhhhhhh!” screamed Smee as he rocketed toward Groundswell. No parachute. No airfoils. Maximum velocity. Ground coming up fast. He was tumbling like an out of control space ship through the atmosphere. Smee closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable. At least it would be brief.

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!” Whump. The earth moved a bit from the impact, and then the peaceful night resumed, crickets resumed chirping, and the dust resumed settling around the crater which Smee had made as the earth conflicted with his trajectory.

Sometime later, after he regained consciousness, Smee found and reinserted most of his teeth, and then slowly fought his way up the side of the crater. Finally reaching the top after hours of work, he propped himself up on one elbow, then the other, and rested tentatively on the edge of the crater, waiting to regain enough strength to climb the last little bit out.

“Nice evening” came the robust voice suddenly from behind him. The voice was made of solid metallic holiness: it instinctively inspired uncontrollable terror in the hearts of those who oppose God. It was Michael’s. Michael the warrior. Michael the really HUGE warrior.

Smee shook so badly that he lost his grip on the edge of the crater. “Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!” The sound of his voice faded as he fell, then there was a little thump, then silence, before the crickets resumed their chirping and the dust resumed its settling.

“Well, I think it is a nice evening” smiled Michael smugly.

—